First District Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson has formally thrown his support behind Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the Democratic presidential primary race. Johnson announced his decision in a statement released on Aug. 28.
During an interview on Aug. 29, Johnson — an outspoken progressive who narrowly defeated former commissioner Richard Boykin with the help of Oak Park — said he was persuaded to support the Massachusetts senator because of her genuine outreach to the black community.
“She was very much interested in not just listening to black families in Chicago and Cook County, but also listening to black leaders and essentially checking her math,” Johnson said. “She checked how her plans line up with the real conditions that people endure.”
Johnson said he met with other candidates in what is turning out to be a five-person race (along with Warren, former vice president Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are the only candidates polling above single digits while California Sen. Kamala Harris and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg round out the second tier of candidates in terms of polling and fundraising, according to Politico).
Johnson said he also had conversations with Sanders, “but the only candidate who took special interest in black progressive voices was Sen. Warren,” he said. “She actually took the time to engage with us, listen to us and make some commitments to us.”
Michael Romain